The Retreat to Moscow

Darlings I miss you a lot, but darlings this has to be short as Vicious is getting a nap....

It's a rather mild winter here, about the same temperature as NY, which allowed me to wear open-toed shoes when I saw Turandot on Tuesday. We saw it at the Bolshoi theatre, which rivals the Met in grandeur. It was like sitting on a set from Amadeus, but bigger. Much bigger. And they preserve everything rather than rennovate it, which is pretty amazing. They still have the Tzar's Box in the Bolshoi, where the Tzar and his family would sit for performances, and people still sit there. There's such respect for history here, and, unlike Americans, everyone knows their history innately, to the point where history factors into the smallest decisions in their lives.

The Moscow Arts Theatre (MXAT) is huge on The Seagull, so much that it is their logo and seen everywhere. On gravestones, those who worked with MXAT in their lives have the seagull logo on their headstones. There is an astounding amount of respect for the theatre here, an incredible amount of discipline, and it fascinates me that one could have such devotion to a theatre that its logo appears on something like their headstone.... Has anyone professed brand-loyalty for the American Airlines Theatre yet?

Very quickly before I go try and fall back asleep, I went to Stanislavski's house. They preserved his rooms and give tours.... It's indescribable. The man had a stage in his house. I'll post pictures when I get them developed.

Whether it's funny or not, I'll give you a fuller report the minute they carry me back from the JFK Airport....